According to Forum of Private Business (FPB) research, the UK's 1.2m micro and small and medium-sized businesses are having to pay £20bn in compliance costs – an increase of 8.4% on 2013, which averages out to £14,900 per business.

Published as part of the second annual FedEx Great British Export Report 2015, research suggests British SME export activity is helping to reduce the UK's overall trade deficit, which still stands at about £2.8bn.